Eruv Tavshilin for a non-Israeli in Israel

Hi,

When Yom Tov occurs on Friday, one may prepare food on Yom Tov for Shabbat only if one prepared an eruv tavshilin [described elsewhere on this blog] before Yom Tov began.

If the first day of Yom Tov is Thursday and the second day is Friday, then Israelis don't have Yom Tov on Friday, and they may cook on Friday for Shabbat. Non-Israelis, though, require an eruv tavshilin.

In such a situation, a non-Israeli who is in Israel, who will eat food prepared by Israelis on their own initiative, does not need an eruv tavshilin. However, a non-Israeli who will cook for himself, or who will have food prepared specifically for him, needs an eruv tavshilin.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:37:9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A Kohen from Israel

Hi,

An Israeli kohen who is outside of Israel on the second day of Yom Tov, which is observed only outside Israel, may recite birkat kohanim for a non-Israeli minyan.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:37:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Pesach posts

Hi,

We are supposed to begin learning the laws of Pesach thirty days before Pesach - so it's already late!

Please look in the sidebar for links to Pesach-related posts; there is quite a bit to choose from.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Nekadesh and Nakdishcha

Hi,

One should use the text of Kedushah that the chazan uses, whether Nekadesh or Naaritzcha, but one who does not do so is not violating "lo titgodidu" since this is not an individual's prayer.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 37:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kriah after seeing the Temple Mount and leaving

Hi,

One who saw the Temple Mount and did not tear kriah should not tear kriah later on.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:37:4)

[It is not clear to me whether Rav Moshe modifies his position in the last several words, to say that one who feels great pain over the loss of the Beit haMikdash does tear kriah later.]

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Purim Drinking

Hi,

On Purim we celebrate the ultimate joy of a sudden national rescue, and our sages have taught that we should imbibe alcohol at the Purim Seudah as part of this celebration. Just as we abstain from various foods and from drink at certain times of the year to induce sadness, so we indulge in various foods and in drink at other times of the year, to induce joy. The gemara’s standard for imbibing is to drink until we cannot tell the difference between “Cursed is Haman” and “Blessed is Mordechai” (Megilah 7b).

Authorities differ on how much to drink, but the following is clear: An adult who is medically, psychologically and emotionally able to drink, and who has a designated driver, should drink some amount of alcohol - preferably enough that he will feel lightheaded (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 695:2). One should enjoy his Purim meal relatively early in the afternoon, drink a little, and then sleep off the effects of the alcohol.

Many people, and I include myself in this number, have embraced the practice of drinking minimally at the Purim Seudah and then fulfilling the state of intoxication by taking a nap after the meal. This approach is sanctioned by the Rama (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 695:2). One might consider doing the eating/drinking/nap before participating in a communal seudah.

I know the following is obvious, and I apologize for taking your time with it, but if my blog has any reach at all then I feel an obligation to state this obvious point. Please:

1) There is no reason to give alcohol to minors who are pre-bar mitzvah to drink on Purim. It is not necessary for their fulfillment of any mitzvah. The practice might be secularly legal as sacramental wine - consult an attorney - but it is a foolish and dangerous ritual and therefore prohibited as endangering our children as well as violating our obligation of chinuch for our children.

I do believe there is a difference between giving children under the age of obligation in mitzvot a taste of wine from the formal Shabbat Kiddush (not the one in shul; I mean the one at dinner/lunch!) and engaging them in Purim drinking. The former is a formal setting, and no one (I hope) is drinking to get a buzz. On Purim, though, because the general drinking is more loose and more geared toward celebration, I believe that the rule should be that children drink no alcohol at all.

2) If your own child is a minor, but older than bar mitzvah, and able to handle a small amount of wine, then it makes sense to help your child fulfill the mitzvah with a small amount, in a supervised setting, assuming this is legal in your jurisdiction.

3) I beleve adults should not drink on Purim in the presence of young children, beyond what would normally be consumed at a meal on Shabbat. Immature children cannot tell when we are in control and when we are not, cannot comprehend the dangers associated with alcohol, cannot accept the idea that adults can do what children are not permitted to do, and cannot understand the difference between Purim and the rest of the year.

The finest joy is a celebration which centers around a Mitzvah, and this is the essence of Purim – the four mitzvot (Megilah, Sending Gifts of Food, Giving to the Poor and having a Feast) which are about experiencing joy and spreading joy and thanking HaShem for saving us from destruction.

I apologize for wasting anyone’s time by stating the obvious, but as I said above, I feel the responsibility of stating this in any forum I have available.

And not to be a party-pooper at all, but those who want to know more about this theme should see Shaarei Teshuvah of Rav Chaim Margaliyot (printed with a standard Mishneh Berurah), in his final comment on Orach Chaim:

ויותר יש לזרז עצמו בד"ת במקום שיש שם איזה שמחה אף אם היא שמחה של מצוה ועיין בסוף סוכה בענין שמחת בית השואבה וכן מבואר לעיל סימן תקכ"ט אדם אוכל ושותה ושמח ברגל ולא ימשוך בבשר ויין ובשחוק וקלות ראש לפי שאין השחוק וקלות ראש שמחה אלא הוללות וסכלות ולא נצטוינו על הוללות וסכלות אלא על שמחה שיש בה עבודת היוצר עכ"ל והוא לשון רבינו הרמב"ם ז"ל והמפרשים ז"ל פירשו לשחוק אמרתי מהולל ר"ל שיהיה באיזה ענין שיהיה השחוק הוא הוללות עבט"ז לעיל
אך לשמחה מה זו עושה ר"ל שלענין שמחה אין להחליט שאינה יפה שבאמ' יש שמחה של מצוה ולכן יש ליתן לב לדעת מה זו עושה ר"ל מה טובה אם הוא שמחה של מצוה או לא אך הואיל ואפשר כי מתוך אכילה ושתיה והוללת יתמשך לשחוק וקלות ראש לכן יקח תבלין לבסם השמחה בד"ת וחדוות ה' יהיה מעוזו ויטב לבו בד"ת וז"ש וטוב לב משתה תמיד

It is even more necessary to energize one’s self with words of Torah in a place where there is joy, even if it is joy associated with a mitzvah. See the end of Succah regarding simchas beis hashoevah. And so is explained in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 529, “One should eat, drink and be happy on the holiday, but not draw himself after meat and wine and laughter and lightheadedness, for laughter and lightheadedness are not joy, but empty celebration and foolishness. We are not instructed in empty celebration and foolishness, but in joy which includes service of the Creator.” This is a citation from the Rambam.
The sages explained the verse (Kohelet 2:2), “I have called laughter ‘empty celebration’” to mean that in any form, laughter is empty celebration. See the Taz earlier. [I don’t know which comment from the Taz he means.]
But “What does joy accomplish (Kohelet 2:2)” means that regarding joy, one should not conclude that it is not good. In truth, there is joy associated with mitzvot! Therefore, one should set his heart to know what joy can accomplish, meaning, what is its nature – is it joy associated with a mitzvah, or not. But since it is possible that one will be drawn to laughter and lightheadedness as a result of eating, drinking and empty celebration, therefor, one should take spices to sweeten the joy with words of Torah, and his strength will be in the joy of Gd, and his heart will be good with words of Torah. This is the meaning of ‘One of good heart is always at a feast.’

May we have wonderful and safe Purim - ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר!

Chag Purim Sameiach,
Mordechai

Tearing kriah on Friday after midday

Hi,

Some mention a custom of refraining from tearing "kriah" upon seeing the Temple Mount on Friday after midday. There does not seem to be any legal basis for this custom, but perhaps it could be justified if tearing "kriah" would increase one's pain into Shabbat.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:37:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tearing kriah on seeing the Temple Mount

Hi,

One does not tear kriah in our day upon seeing the site of the "cities of Judea", despite the fact that fear of invasion and control by our foes still exists. However, one does tear kriah upon seeing the Temple Mount, until the arrival of Mashiach.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:37:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Polishing shoes on Chol haMoed

Hi,

One may polish shoes on chol hamoed to wear on chol hamoed or Yom Tov, but only with a normal level of polishing, not in an "extra-fine" way.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:36:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Buying in bulk on chol hamoed

Hi,

One may purchase Yom Tov needs on chol hamoed, but one may not purchase more than is needed.

One may purchase more than his immediate need if:
1) It is possible that this could become necessary on chol hamoed, or
2) Buying a larger quantity would provide a discount.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:36:2-3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Laundry on Chol haMoed

Hi,

When a small stain occurs on a garment, one may clean it on chol hamoed; this is not the type of cleaning forbidden on chol hamoed.

One should not give a garment to someone else to clean, even if that person is not a professional. However, one may do so within a spousal, parental or teacher-student relationship, if the cleaning will not be done professionally.

[Rav Moshe does not explicitly limit this to cleaning for use on chol hamoed or yom tov, but it seems reasonable to assume that this is the case.]

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:36:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Half-Shekel

Hi,

"[Haman promised Achashverosh, in exchange for exterminating the Jews:] 'If it is good with the king, I will pay ten thousand silver coins into the king's coffers.'

"Reish Lakish commented: It was revealed and known before the Creator of the Universe that Haman would give shekalim [coins] against the Jews. Therefore, Gd commanded that we precede his shekalim with our own contribution of shekalim. This is why it is taught in a mishnah: On the first day of Adar announcements are made calling people to contribute their shekalim."

(Talmud, Megilah 13b)


"Some have ruled that one should donate a coin which is half the standard unit of currency, to charity, as a memorial to the half-shekel which was given [in the time of the Temple] in the month of Adar.

"Since the word 'donation' is written three times in that section of the Torah which describes this Mitzvah, one should give three of these coins. One should give it on the eve of Purim, before the minchah prayer, and that is the custom in these lands."

(Rama to Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 694:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Transporting keys on Yom Tov

Hi,

One may transport items one needs from Point A to Point B on Yom Tov without an eruv. However, one may not transport unnecessary items without an eruv.

One who wishes to transport keys outside the eruv via a keyring must first remove the keys that have no use for him.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:35)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kashering glass utensils for Pesach

Hi,

Glass utensils which were used for chametz, but have not been used in twelve months, may be used for Pesach after undergoing milui v'irui (kashering via filling with cold water) three times, across three days. Where that is not possible, one could do hagalah (kashering via boiling water), even by pouring water on them from a vessel that was on the fire. Where there is concern that this could cause the utensils to break, kashering is not needed.

This leniency does not apply to utensils which held grain-based alcohol for extended periods of time.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:32:1)

Have a  great day,
Mordechai

This year's unique Fast of Esther

Hi,

In a year when Purim Day is Sunday, the fast is moved back to the preceding Thursday. We don't move it to Friday, because involvement in the rites of the fast day would distract from preparation for Shabbat.

So this year, the fast is Thursday, February 21.

(Code of Jewish Law Orach Chaim 686:2, Mishneh Berurah 686:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Border patrol on Shabbos

Hi,

One who will need to ride in a vehicle on Shabbos for the purpose of a safety patrol may take food as needed for the trip, even if he will ride beyond the biblical techum. (On Shabbat, one may not travel more than a kilometer outside of a settled area; this boundary is called techum, and there is some debate as to whether it is biblical or rabbinic. All agree that there is a biblical prohibition against travelling beyond six kilometers.) However, where the trip is short enough to permit it, one should simply eat beforehand.

One may not bring books for reading, including for prayer or learning Torah. Even where the books are not heavy enough to increase the use of gasoline, one may not transport them beyond the aforementioned techum.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:26)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A Friday afternoon onein

Hi,

The following halachah is a bit more complex than the pieces I usually cite, but I bring it here because I find it particularly interesting:

One whose parent passes away is an 'onein', and exempt from many mitzvot, until burial. However, on Shabbat the period of being an onein is waived for many purposes.

Therefore, one whose parent passes away on Friday afternoon ר"ל will not daven minchah. However, should the burial not take place before Shabbos then he will daven normally on Shabbos.

If the onein had the opportunity to daven minchah before the parent passed away, and knew that the parent was in danger of dying, then he should daven a second, make-up amidah after maariv that evening, because missing minchah was partially a product of his personal decision.

On the other hand, if the death was sudden, then the onein is entirely exempt from minchah and he does not daven a second amidah after maariv.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:24:11)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

The kitchen compost bin, part 2

Hi,

May I empty a kitchen compost bin on Shabbos in order to make room for more material?

In Thursday's post, we noted that such a bin is muktzeh if it contains only material that is not usable for people or animals. Further, we noted that although our bins tend to include edible items, we lock them to keep them from animals, and so they are not considered "food for animals".

There is some debate as to whether one may empty such a bin on Shabbos in order to make room for more material. Significant authorities permit, particularly where the alternative would be to turn a non-compost bin into a compost bin for that day.

(Magen Avraham 308:59; Chazon Ish Moed 48:10; Shemirat Shabbat k'Hilchatah 22:45 and footnote 116; Asifas Chachamim I pg. 133-135; Or Yisrael 41 pg. 99; Orchos Shabbos 19:340 and footnote 505)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

The kitchen compost bin, Part 1

Hi,

[Preface for non-Ontarians: In Ontario, households keep a small "compost bin" in their kitchens. Food waste is put in the bin, and collected from the curb weekly.]

Is a kitchen compost bin muktzeh?

Items which have no use on Shabbat are muktzeh, and this includes meal residue which is not usable as food for people or animals. A receptacle which holds only such items is muktzeh as well.

Kitchen compost bins tend to hold items which are edible for common animals. However, most of us do not feed animals out of our compost bins; indeed, we lock our bins when they are outside, to prevent animals from eating the food. Therefore, the bins are muktzeh. [The leniency of graf shel re'i is hard to apply, because a covered compost bin does not disturb use of the kitchen.]

People who wish to move their compost bin on Shabbos should first place a usable item, like a towel, atop the bin, so that it holds usable items as well as muktzeh items. If the bin holds compost when Shabbos starts, then the usable item must be on it from before Shabbos as well.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 308:27-30, 310:8; Chatam Sofer on Magen Avraham 308:51; Mishneh Berurah 308:116, 119; Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 308:55; Piskei Teshuvos 308:22; Mishneh Halachos 5:49; Az Nidbiru 7:51)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Using vouchers for matanot la'evyonim

Hi,

We are instructed to give gifts to at least two needy people on Purim; this is called matanot la'evyonim.

According to the Mishneh Berurah (694:2), it is ideal to give food for matanot la'evyonim, or money which the needy recipient could spend that day. Therefore, ideally, one should only use vouchers if the recipient would be able to redeem them for money or food on Purim.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Covering one's face during Birkat Kohanim

Hi,

There is no obligation for people to cover their eyes or faces when hearing Birkat Kohanim; they cannot see the hands of the kohanim in any case, for the kohanim cover their hands. However, this is a good practice.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:24:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An Israeli's second Pesach seder

Hi,

An Israeli who is not in Israel on Pesach is required to participate fully in a second seder, even if he is around others who know he is Israeli.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:24:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Electric appliances on Shabbat

Hi,

Electric appliances are not considered a kli shem'lachto l'issur [an implement which is normally used for Shabbat-prohibited purposes] by dint of its electric current. It is only considered a kli shem'lachto l'issur if its function is to be used for Shabbat-prohibited tasks [i.e. a hair dryer, as opposed to a clock].

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 5:23)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Purim: Coming soon!

Hi,

It's time to review laws of Purim.

I have already posted what I believe are the most-relevant laws; please go to the following pages to see them:

Al haNisim

Kriat haTorah (Torah reading)

Matanot laEvyonim (Gifts for the needy)

Megilah reading

Mishloach Manot (Sending food to others)

Purim Clothing

Purim Seudah (the Purim feast)

Taanit Esther (the fast of Esther)
If I am missing anything you would like to see, please email me.

Have a great day,
Mordechai